1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wiring connection device, and in particular to a wiring connection device with a simplified construction to enable cost reduction, which can facilitate connection operations and improve ease of operations, and which can improve water resistance within terminal cases and improve reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among vehicles there are so-called hybrid vehicles, which are provided with a vehicle motor-assist device, provided with an electric motor driven by electrical energy and having an electricity generating function, and which is directly coupled to the engine driven by fuel combustion as the motive power source, to assist the driving force of the engine with the driving force of the motor.
The electric motor comprised by the above vehicle motor-assist device is provided with a motor stator mounted in a motor case, with a motor rotor mounted on a rotor mounting member, with a motor-side coil wire from the motor stator coil unit of the motor stator drawn into the motor case, and this motor-side coil wire connected to a power supply cable outside the motor case.
The motor-side coil wire of the electric motor and the outside power supply cable are connected by means of a wiring connection device. For example, in the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 8-214492, a junction terminal block is installed within an inner-wall frame of the motor, and by means of this junction terminal block, a power-feed cable and stator winding wire are connected. In the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 8-37752, a terminal box is mounted on the frame enclosing the stator, and a terminal block is provided thereon; by means of this terminal block, the power supply cable and stator winding wire are connected.
In the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-222392, crimping terminals at each cable end are mounted by bolts to both ends of a stud penetrating into and out of the shield case. The device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 5-72058 provides a cover terminal, mounted on the cover of a thermal battery, for connection to an internal lead and an external circuit; a screw portion is formed on the part of the cover terminal protruding outside, a bolt is screwed onto this screw portion, and a lead wire crimping terminal is mounted.
In the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 6-98494, an adapter terminal is fitted to the inner hole of a bushing, passing through and fixed in place in a through-hole penetrating the case wall of a motor case; the case wall through-hole and bushing, and the bushing inner hole and adapter terminal are each sealed, and the adapter terminal is connected to both ends of a power supply. In the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-98755, the inner wall of the driving case of a driving apparatus for electric automobiles has a lead-in member, and a window-hole is provided which coordinates, in the axial direction, the connecting portions of the lead terminal in the end wall and the terminal of the power cable. In the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-112958, a lead wire is connected, soldered and fixed to a terminal rod on one end of a shielded power cable, and the other end of the shielded power cable is drawn outside from a through hole in the front side of an end bracket.
However, the devices described in the above Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 8-214492 and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 8-37752 require space for installation of a terminal block, and so have the problem of increased size.
The device of the above Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 7-222393 has the problem of requiring working space in order to install bolts on both ends of the stud penetrating inside and outside of the shield case. The device of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 5-72058 has the problems of an increased number of parts and increased cost due to the provision of a terminal unit of complex construction penetrating a flange, and also has the problem of requiring working space for soldering after mounting the terminal on the flange.
The device of the above Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-340716 has the problem of requiring working space in order to mount the lead wire crimping terminal onto the cover terminal using a bolt, and the installation procedure is troublesome; further, working space is required to insert the cover terminal into the cover through hole and fix it in place, and then to spot-weld the terminal portion.
The device of the above Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 6-98494 has the problem that the electric wire cable is positioned in the working range of the bolt to fix in place the bushing to the through-hole penetrating the case wall of the motor case, resulting in difficulty in tightening the bolt. The device of the above Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-98755 has the problem that the terminal of a lead extending in a free state from the motor core must be grasped from a small window-hole formed in the end wall, matched with the terminal of the power cable fixed to the inner wall of the driving case, and connected by means of a connecting bolt, so that the connection process is difficult. The device of the Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-112958 has the problem that the terminal of a lead wire extending in a free state from the stator must be grasped from a small hole formed in the front-side end bracket, matched with the terminal rod of the shielded power cable passing through and fixed in the cable through-hole of the front-side end bracket, and fixed in place using a bolt, so that the connection process is difficult.
In order to eliminate the above difficulties, this invention is characterized in that a motor case of substantially cylindrical shape is mounted on the cylinder block of an engine, and on this motor case is mounted the motor stator of an electric motor having an electricity generation function; a rotor mounting member is mounted on the crankshaft of the above engine, and on this rotor mounting member is mounted the motor rotor of the above electric motor; on the outer periphery of the case periphery wall of the above motor case is formed a terminal box, having substantially the shape of a square cylinder and with vertical walls standing integrally, and having an aperture portion directed in the outward radial direction; a motor-side through hole, directed in the outward radial direction and which penetrates into the above motor case, is formed in the case periphery wall enclosed by the above vertical walls, a motor-side connection terminal is mounted on the motor-side coil wire drawn from the above motor stator, this motor-side connection terminal is embedded and held by moldingi within the above motor-side through hole, and by means of this molding the above motor-side through hole is sealed.
i This translates morudo; however, xe2x80x9csealerxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csealantxe2x80x9d might be preferable.